$18.2 billion: The amount of money Americans spent on Valentine’s Day in 2017.
29 million: The number of Americans tuned in to the Royal Wedding in May, 2018.
7.8 million: The number of viewers watching ABC’s The Bachelor season finale in March, 2018.
26: The number of Romantic Comedies released in 2017.
People love LOVE!
Have you ever wondered why you’re so enamored by the idea of love? Is it the butterflies you get when your person walks into the room? Is it the sense of security love provides? Maybe it’s the promise of a happy future we find so invigorating?
It’s probably a combination of all those things!
But why?
Did you know humans are relational beings? Making connections with people is an essential part to mankind’s well-being and having healthy relationships actually makes you healthier!
“Strong social connection leads to a 50% increased chance of longevity. Social connection strengthens our immune system, helps us recover from disease faster, and may even lengthen our life.”-Psychology Today
Wow!
Reversely, a lack of strong connections leading to loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Researchers have also found that unhealthy marital relationships have ties to “compromised immune and endocrine function and depression.”
What’s more?
Multiple studies have found links between a small number of relationships and/or a lack of healthy relationships to “development and progression of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cancer and delayed cancer recovery, slower wound healing, and more.”
Yikes!
Clearly, people need other people. Not only that, but they need other people in the context of positive, healthy relationships full of give and take.
You should care about relationship education because healthy relationships absolutely matter.
CPR teaches people how to have strong, healthy relationships every day. But how?
At CPR, we talk about things like
- Boundaries
- Character
- Chemistry
- Commitment
- Communication
- Compatibility
- Handling Conflict
- And so much more!
In a world so convinced that physical intimacy is the cornerstone of romantic relationships, we urge our participants to see the importance of other essential components. Sex is an aspect of an intimate relationship (and we advocate that it is healthiest to reserve sexual intimacy for a strong, committed relationship like marriage), but what about the everyday elements that make up our relationships? Those are the elements we encourage our participants to recognize and evaluate before jumping into a relationship.
We believe in equipping and empowering people to have strong, healthy relationships because they matter not only to the individual, but to society as a whole.
How can that be?
Think about it:
What would a community filled with strong healthy relationships look like?
How might people respecting one another change things?
How might lower rates of STDs, pregnancy out of wedlock, lower rates of domestic violence, and lower rates of divorce alter a society as a whole?
We don’t claim to solve every problem, but we believe that by equipping people with the knowledge to form healthy relationships and the ability to recognize UNHEALTHY relationship or character traits, we are taking a huge leap in the right direction!
Do you agree?
No?
Maybe hearing real words from real CPR participants will change your mind:
“This message has taught me that the most important parts of a relationship don’t have to be physical. The most important factors are things like communication, trust, and honesty.”
“I learned from your lessons that it’s not okay to be pressured into something I don’t want to do. Because of this class, I have realized that sex isn’t just a physical activity, and should be taken more seriously.”
“First, thank you so much for teaching this class. You have helped me want to stay abstinent, make boundaries and get out of unhealthy relationships. Thanks to you I’m not being beat anymore, not being yelled at, or anything. I left him and found someone so much better. We have discussed boundaries and have not done anything to hurt one another.”
“This class taught me that it’s not just about the physical things, and you shouldn’t just give yourself away because they say, “I love you.” You should spend time getting to know them. Pay attention to how they treat their mom. Don’t ignore your friends when they say the relationship is doing more hurt than building. So, thank you.”
These people were truly impacted by CPR’s message! They realized that positive, healthy relationships are important and that they ARE possible.
People need other people, their health depends on it. At CPR, we’re passionate about teaching people how to have healthy relationships because we know it matters. Do you think it matters? If so, donate today!
